Ulcers Sideline Firestone at End of Term

Stricken by a flare-up of painful stomach ulcers, Assemblyman Brooks Firestone missed the last day of his final legislative term Monday.

The Los Olivos Republican said he regretted having to end his political career early, much like his legislative ally and friend, Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard).

The 62-year-old assemblyman was admitted early Sunday morning to St. Francis Medical Center in Santa Barbara after complaining of stomach pains. Doctors treated Firestone and released him on Monday, but restricted him to bed rest, causing him to miss his last day of the Legislature’s 1997-98 session.

Takasugi, 76, abruptly ended his final term after suffering a heart attack June 22. The former Oxnard mayor, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits, has also expressed regret over having his Assembly term cut short.

While Firestone, who is not seeking reelection, rested at his Los Olivos home Monday, he talked wistfully about leaving office and the stresses of politics.

“I started to get a little nostalgic about it,” said Firestone, after watching Monday’s Assembly session on television. “I don’t know what to think now. My legislative career is over.”

A self-described political centrist, Firestone said he has no regrets about his four-year stint in government.

An heir to the Firestone estate, he worked in his grandfather’s tire business for years until starting his vineyard and winery in Los Olivos.

After winning an Assembly seat in 1994, Firestone championed higher-education reform and penned legislation establishing “Scholarshare,” a proposed California tax-exempt savings account to help parents put money aside for their children’s college.

“The bureaucratic wheels are turning and still trying to find a way to put that bill into action. But, I can’t wait until that goes through; I have nine grandkids,” he said.

Serving in the Legislature, which Firestone characterizes as a civic duty worthy of honor and praise, is also one replete with pressure.

Some nights in the Legislature would drag on into the morning hours, leaving little time for meals, relaxation or even sleep. Last week, one Assembly session ran past midnight as members discussed academic accountability. Assembly budget deliberations one day last year lasted until 5:30 a.m., Firestone remembered.

“It’s a stupid system. After a certain time, people get short-tempered and it’s a very stressful thing,” he said.

Like Takasugi, Firestone frequently found himself walking a thin line between partisan politics and personal views. His votes sometimes contradicted each other--such as when he voted against an assault-weapons ban but in favor of a bill curbing the sale of “Saturday night specials.”

“The gunners loved me for one bill and hated me for the other,” he said. “I found your enemies tend to remember you more than your friends.”

Pressure mounted after Firestone lost his bid for the 22nd Congressional District seat that had been held by Walter Capps, who died of a heart attack in October 1997.

“It was a very difficult and stressful campaign,” he said. “I thought maybe I had paid my dues.”

The hardest part of campaigning, however, was not the long hours away from home, he said, but having to ask friends for money.

The combination of a failed bid for Congress and poor eating habits during long legislative sessions proved to be too much, Firestone said.

“The classic problem is, those who eat at their desk, ultimately lose,” he said.

Although Firestone won’t rule out a return to politics, he said that for now he will turn to his vineyard for therapy and exercise during his recuperation.

“I wasn’t quite ready to retire. I will find something else, but in the meantime I’ll be picking grapes.”